Wednesday, 24 June 2020

The Little Book of Algorithms 2.0


Following the success of the Little Book of Algorithms - Over 20,000 downloads and hundreds sold worldwide, I'm pleased to announce version 2.0. The publishing model will stay the same, the digital PDF will be available free of charge (See bottom of post). For those who want to support me by buying a hassle-free printed physical paperback, you can do so on Amazon or directly here.

What's new in version 2.0?

Teaching, like software development and learning is about refinement. In this new version there are two key changes.

Firstly, challenges now directly follow each relevant skill. This reflects the structure of most mathematics textbooks and workbooks. It means there’s less time and effort spent flicking backwards and forwards.

Secondly, there are a greater number and range of challenges because you will become a better programmer and computer scientist by solving a greater number and range of problems.
While answers remain in the back of the book, I have also started creating walkthrough video solutions to some of the more complex challenges. These are available on Youtube here.

The Little Book of Algorithms 2.0 concisely presents 18 problems which computer science students will commonly encounter. These problems are solved efficiently using programs written using Python. However, reading these programs is not enough, so this new version of the book now comes with 48 challenges so that you can apply what you have learnt in various ways:

  • Writing your own programs
  • Solving Parson’s puzzles
  • Completing quizzes 
  • Tracing 
  • Gap fills

This range of exercises will help you to become more fluent in Python and ensure that you are comfortable with any question format in a programming exam.

  • After finishing this book, you should feel more familiar with:
  • While loops and For loops
  • Concatenating different data types
  • Using procedures and functions
  • Working with 1D and 2D lists and arrays
  • File reading and writing 


This book will show you how to write better Python programs and will expose you to the key skills that are required to do well in any secondary school programming assignment or exam.

I wish you the very best on your learning journey.

Free version: Here
Pre-printed paperbacks: Amazon
Preview below:




Walkthrough tutorials: